Panthers win in OT after late Steelers comeback

Photo: Dean Woolley

Nottingham earned their first win of the season in Sheffield with an overtime goal in the final group stage game of the 2021/22 Premier Sports Challenge Cup season.

The Steelers came flying out of the gates in the beginning of this one, and deservedly took the lead early on Jonathan Phillips drove the next, and Alex Graham followed up to wrist home from the slot and put the hosts ahead with 6:22 gone. Panthers were level at 11:23 with a bit of fortune as Christophe Boivin's shot hit traffic in front of the net and landed at the feet of Jeremy Welsh who had the simple tap in. 54 seconds later, Simon Suoranta came in unmarked at the back post to finish off a nice Panthers play before JC Brassard shot through a screen at 15:36 to move the visitors into a 3-1 lead.

Period two had much more caution thrown to the win, leading to rushes at both ends but no goals. With 30:53 played, both teams opted to remove starters Rok Stojanovič and Kevin Carr with Curtis Warburton and Will Kerlin entering the net for the Steelers and Panthers respectively. Both kept the puck out of their nets, and the period ended with the Panthers still 3-1 up.

Alex Graham grabbed his second of the game with a speculative throw on net from the blue line to bring the score back to 2-3 at 42:27, but just over two minutes later Jordan Kelsall got on a loose puck to restore the Panthers' two-goal advantage. The Panthers went on the powerplay at 57:51 with the chance to put the game to bed, but it backfired when Martin Látal fired home at 57:08. And then, as has happened so often from the Steelers, the hosts equalised 43 seconds later when Matias Sointu redirected a Graham feed.

Going to overtime ended the Steelers chances of taking the first seed spot in the Quarter-Finals, and after chances at both ends Boivin ended the game with the winner at 62:06.

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